The inn was just as messy as expected.
– Click! Squeak!
Broken plates rolled on the floor, dust covered the tables, and mice scurried in and out of holes in the walls.
Fortunately, the smell wasn’t as bad as it could have been, making it somewhat bearable.
Maybe it was because there were hardly any guests to create a stench in the first place.
The inn’s foul odor mostly came from guests who couldn’t be bothered to wash and drunks who made pizzas on the floor, along with couples busy making babies.
“Two-person room… one bed… with a window. Second room on the second floor. Twenty copper coins.”
At least the room rate was reasonably low. In this town, 20 copper coins a night was almost like staying for free.
I wondered if it was because this inn didn’t provide meals, drinks, or even a bath? Honestly, it wasn’t extremely cheap either.
Well, it didn’t matter much to me since I was just going to meet with my gang and then bail on this inn anyway.
I climbed the creaky stairs and opened the door to the second room on the left.
– Creeeak!
Contrary to the worn-out hallway, the room was surprisingly clean. But as expected from a cheap inn, it only had a shabby straw bed.
“Ugh, calling that a bed… If I have to stay here for several days, it’d be better to find a different inn. Don’t you think so, Friede?”
“Let’s do that! I mean, inns should at least have a bath!”
I didn’t know how long this job would take, but if it wasn’t going to end in a day or two, I’d need to sleep somewhere else.
Some place with heating, better meals, and comfy beds.
Of course, even if this inn was awful, it was still better than sleeping rough under the night dew… But we weren’t broke, so why put ourselves through this misery?
Just Beloren’s travel expenses alone would be enough for a week’s luxurious stay with a fluffy wool bed and a personal bathroom.
I wasn’t looking to indulge in that luxury, but if we were going to be here for days, I wanted to stay at least somewhere nicer than this.
…Anyway, that wasn’t what mattered right now.
“Let’s rest for a bit. Also, prepare for a fight.”
“Are we going to fight today?”
“Well, I guess we’ll know once we meet Argantir’s subordinates.”
As I had previously heard, I stuck feather decorations in the window frame and organized my weapons and armor while waiting for a contact from the “Shadow” group.
While I was busy, Friede took out the supplies from her bag and began to check each one: potions, bandages, emergency rations, daggers, and so on.
Maybe it was thanks to her experience as an adventurer or a hero party member, but she looked adorable focusing on her supplies.
◆◆
Night fell.
I started to regret not bringing back that lake pork after an unsatisfying dinner when…
– Tap, tap.
A man completely cloaked in black gently knocked on the window and gestured to let him in, showing off a ring with an eagle emblem on his other hand.
Finally, he has arrived!
Even though I couldn’t make out his face due to the hood and mask, that ring made it clear he was from the Shadow of the Eagle.
Still, just in case, I had to stay on guard. There was always a chance it could be a disguise meant to kill me.
“Friede.”
I subtly signaled Friede to get into a defensive stance, then moved to unlock the window.
“Excuse me. Krimhilde-sama.”
As I opened the window and stepped back a bit, the man smoothly slipped inside and placed one arm across his chest in greeting.
Looks like he knows my identity already. Did Argantir tell him? If he knows that much, there’s no point in wasting breath on over-the-top code phrases.
“What’s your name?”
“Um… just call me Edgar.”
It’s definitely a fake name.
Then again, I had a fake name myself. Anyone who does this kind of stuff would be insane to use their real name.
“I, I’m Siegfriede!”
…No, Friede. If you say that, what will I be? You’ve accidentally made the hero look like a lunatic.
“Uh… um, yes. Nice to meet you, Siegfriede-sama.”
Look at that. Edgar is looking at me as if he’s thinking “What the heck is going on?” A classic “get a grip” look for sure.
“Hah… Friede, come here.”
I sighed lightly and waved Friede over.
Nodding, Friede stepped out from the corner of the room and stood next to me, firmly clutching the hilt of her black steel greatsword behind her back.
It was a clear message that if he showed even a hint of suspicious behavior, I’d split him in two, starting from the top.
“Let’s cut the fluff and get to the point. You came here as instructed, so what should we do next?”
“Yes, first, this… this is the order from the gentleman.”
Edgar pulled out a letter from his pocket and handed it over to me.
“That guy really loves writing letters. He could’ve just told me verbally.”
I took the letter with my gloved hand and checked the contents under the moonlight.
“Let’s see…
‘Dear Mr. Harold, when is our next meeting? Every time the moonlight shines like tonight, I remember the events of that night and my body starts to…’
Wait, what is this? Some kind of code?”
“Ugh?! Uh, I-I made a mistake! The order is actually this one…!”
Startled, Edgar hurriedly searched his pockets and pulled out a different letter.
No wonder it felt off; it wasn’t a code but a personal letter. Looks like someone is having a good time, good for them.
I took the newly presented letter and gave it a quick read.
– Slide.
Oh wait, it’s not just a single sheet; there are two sheets here!
When I took it, I thought it was just one, but there were actually two letters stuck together.
Let’s see…
/ Harold! Why have you been out of touch lately? You wouldn’t leave me after taking my first, would you?/
Wait, what… This seems pretty far from being an order.
In fact, it was a different writing style than the previous letter.
“…This also looks like a personal letter.”
I neatly folded the letter that threatened him to send soldiers to find me if I didn’t make contact and handed it back to Edgar.
Edgar’s pupils shook as if an earthquake had hit. He looked like an employee caught red-handed posting risqué selfies online.
Of course, Edgar was a man, but considering he was an assassin who had two relationships going with two women under a disguise, he was quite a manly man. One of those women is seemingly a maiden from a respected family.
“Looks like you’re pretty popular.”
He seems to be living it up. How is it okay for an assassin from a secret organization? I wasn’t so much envious as I was just blown away.
“U-uh, I-I’m terribly sorry…”
Edgar bowed his head deeply. I wasn’t really blaming him, but it seemed to have sounded that way to him.
I guess there’s pressure in getting caught for having a messy personal life in front of a superior. Not that I cared.
Who cares if an assassin is juggling relationships?
Friede, who had stolen a glance at the letter, was looking at Edgar with judgmental eyes, but honestly, I didn’t care at all.
What mattered much more was reading the last letter.
This is probably the real order from Argantir.
Of course, if this last letter turned out to be a love letter too, I might give Edgar the same look as Friede. Seriously, what an idiot.
/ Did you meet up, Krimhilde? The extermination operation has been left to the field, but there is information you need to know before carrying out your mission, so read this./
Thank goodness, the last letter actually was an order from Argantir.
Or rather, it’s probably better described as a personal note?
The content of the letter wasn’t detailed instructions about the operation but rather information intended for me specifically.
It mentioned that Gunther had returned to Brunhold and followed up on the task I had asked about, and those types of things.
According to the letter, the plan of the Exorcism and Rebellion Committee I sold him ended in complete disaster.
The Rhine Kingdom soldiers chased the ‘fake Brunhilde’ he created to the edge of their borders and the Abyss Priests, realizing the job was a mess, dissolved themselves while waiting for the next opportunity.
They apparently didn’t even disperse quietly; when they checked the traces left on the scene, it seemed there was some internal fighting over responsibility for the failed operation.
It was a total mess. You can’t even find camaraderie among those guys from the start.
Anyway, among the Abyss Priests who were dissolving and returning to their hideouts, the third finger of the group, Ganagl, ran into Heid’s party and got obliterated.
He managed to escape somehow, but in his panic to hide, he left traces that made him notice by the Shadow of the Eagle.
Heid was also following Ganagl’s traces heading to Svinarant, but he encountered issues on the way that would delay his arrival.
It seemed they wanted me to deal with Ganagl before Heid arrived. I’m so glad I rushed over.
Even having come on horseback, I had to finish this within three days. If I had leisurely walked here, I would have been late to the party.
◆◆
Oh, I just realized that the fake Brunhilde was an excellent woman who was disguised as me, used, and then killed.
She was lured in with the condition of choosing a certain prisoner to set free.
At any rate, this fake Brunhilde led the Rhine Kingdom soldiers near a cliff and met her demise.
It turns out they activated self-destruct magic passed to her by Argantir and blew her upper half sky-high.
It was gruesome, to say the least.
Thanks to that, the Rhine Kingdom is currently under the impression that I am dead and has removed my name from the wanted list.
Should I be grateful or should I think that’s a bit extreme?
/ Just in case, I’ve informed a contact at the Magic Tower of your survival. It would be troublesome if they started acting out in vengeance./
Really thorough and meticulous.
Seeing that a wizard from the Magic Tower informed the people of my survival to prevent any future trouble due to vengeful feelings.
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